Railway-switch-operating apparatus



April 30, 1929. J, QMEARA 1,711,060

RILWAY SWITCH OPERATING APPARATUS Filed June 20, 1928 V I I L 7 "Wm; I 2. rafo'meam,

Patented Apr. 30, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. OMEARA, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ,AssIe Non To rns UNioN SWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, or swissvALn, P NNS LVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-SWITCH-OPERATING APPARATUS.

Application filed June 20, 1928. Serial No. 286,798.,

My invention relates to railway switch operating apparatus, and has for an object the provision of apparatus whereby a switch may be operated by either one of two separate and distinct devices, such as an electric motor and a hand lever without the necessity for means for selectively connecting said devices with the switch.

I will describe one form of apparatus embodying my invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawir Fig. 1 is a view showing in vertical cross .ection one form of apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a view showing in front elevation one form of apparatus also embodying my invention for controlling the operation of the hand lever shownin 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of the views.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the reference character 1 designates a box or casing containing a vertical shaft 4, the lower end of which terminates in a crank 17 provided with a downwardly projecting pin3. This crank and pin co-operate with suitable apparatus for actuating and locking a railway switch,

which apparatus is not shown in the accompanying drawings but "may, for example, be similar to the apparatus shown in United States Letters Patent No. 1,293,290, granted to William Zabel on February 4, 1919. In the said patent the crank 55 and pin 58 corre spond respectively to the crank 17 and pin 8 in the present disclosure.

A hearing member 2 is mounted to rotate freely on the shaft 4, and projecting upwardly from the upper surface of this men her are a plurality of studs 5, each of which constitutes the bearing for a pinion 6. The upper end of each stud 5 is fixed to a plate 7 which rotates freely on a shoulderformed on a. gear 12 hereinafter referred to. This plate is in effect a part of the hearing member 2 because of the rigid connection formed by the studs 5. The studs 5 are all equi-distaut from the center line of the shaft 4, so

that the pinions 6 are concentrically arranged with respect to this shaft. F1Xed to the shaft 4 is a gear wheel 8 havlng external teeth which mesh with the pinions 6.

ldounted to rotate freely on the shaft at a second gear wheel 12, having internal gear teeth 12",which pinions 6. y i

' A worm gear 9 is rigidly attached to the bearing member 2, and this worm gear meshes with a. worm 10 which is operatively connected with an electric motor 11 through the medium of reduction gearing which is indicated by the dash line 26. 1

The second gearwheel 12 is also provided with teeth 12 which constitute a bevel gear and which mesh with a second bevel gear 13 fixed to the end of a shaft 1 1, which is mountalso mesh with each of the cd to oscillate in the box or casing 1. a The outer end of the shaft 11 is rigidly attached to a hand lever 15. y Y a The operation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, is as follows: I will first assume that the hand lever 15 is locked to preventmovement of the shaft 14, and that theelectric motor 11 is operated. Rotation of the worm 10 causes the worm gear 9 and thebearing member 2 to rotate, and the bearing member 2 carries with it the pinions 6. Inasmuch as the second gear 12 is locked, the pinions 6 roll on the gear teeth 12", and so these pin ions cause rotation of gear wheel 8, which is fixed to the shaft 4,with the result that shaft 4 is rotated to cause operation and locking of the switch.

T will now assume that motor 11 is at rest, and that thehand lever 15 is swung from one extreme position to the other. The conse quent rotation of the bevel gear 13 causes gear 12 to turn on the shaft 4, and since the bearing member 2 isheld fixed in position, the gear 12 rotates the pinions 6 on 1 their shafts 5, and these pinions in turn rotate the gear 8, which is fixed to theshaft 4, and

which, therefore, operates .this shaft toac attained by using difierential gearing, or.

suitably designed mechanical linkage.

It is desirable to prevent operation of the lever except when the railway switch is in one extreme position, such as its normal pos1- tion, and it is also desirable to prevent the a link 20, which in turn is pivotally connected at with a locking member 21 provided with a recess 21. The locking member 21 coacts with a switch locking member 22 which may for example be the slide bar N in the Zabel Patent No. 1,293,290 referred to hereinbefore. The locking member 21 is provided with a dog 23, which co-acts with a roller 24 operatively connected with a circuit controller 25, which circuit controller is included in the circuit for the electric motor 11.

Normally the parts are in the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 2, in which positions the hand lever 15 is locked by the latch 18, circuit controller 25 is closed, and the locking member 21 is out of the path of movement of slide bar 22, so that the railway switch may be operated by the electric motor 11. hen the switch is not locked in its normal position, the slide bar 22 isin the path of movement of the locking member 21, so that this member cannot be moved to the left; the result of this is, that latch 18 cannot be opened to release the hand lever 15. WVhen the switch is locked in its normal position, however, the slide bar 22 withdrawn from thepath of the locking member 21, so that latch 18 can then be opened to release the hand lever 15. The opening of the latch 18 causes the locking member 21 to move to the left into such posi tion that the notch 21 is in the path of movement of the slide bar so that the switch may then be reversed. This movement of the locking member 21 also moves the dog 23 away from the roller 24, so that circuit controller 25 opens and prevents the supply of current to motor 11. Operation. of the hand lever 15 will, of course, cause operation of the 'rallway switch, and will also cause the slide bar 22 to move into the notch 21 in member 21. This prevents the restoring of latch 18 and the closing of contact 25 until the lever troller 25 is again closed, so that the parts are restored to the conditions wherein the switch may be operated by the motor 11.

The yoke 16 is preferably provided with a hole 19 to receive a padlock whereby the opening of the latch 18 by unauthorized persons can be prevented.

Although I have herein shown and tie scribed only one form of apparatus embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. Railway switch actuating mechanism comprising a rotatable switch operating shaft, a gear fixed to said shaft, a member freely mounted on said shaft, a plurality of pinions rctai'ably supported by said member and each meshing with said gear, a second gear freely 'moun ted on said shaft and meshing with each of said pinions, and separate and di Jinct devices for rotating said memher and said second gear.

2. Railway switch actuating mechanism con'n n'ising a rotatable switch operating shaft, a gear fixed to said shaft, a member freely mounted on said shaft, a plurality of pinions rotatably supported by said member and each meshing with said gear, a second gear freely mounted 011 said shaft and meshing with each of said pinions, an electric motor operatively connected wit-h said member, and a hand lever operatively connected with said second gear.

3. Railway switch actuating mechanism comprising a rotatable switch operating shaft, an electric motor, a hand lever, and means illClllCllng planetary gearing or eausmg rotation of said shaft by either said motor or said hand lever.

l. Railway switch actuating mechanism comprising a gear operatively connected with the switch, a pinion meshing with said gear, asecond gear meshing with said pinion. and separate and distinct devices for moving said pinion and said second gear.

5. Railway switch actuating mechanism comprising a gear operatively connected with the switch, a pinion meshing with said gear, a second gear meshing with said pinion, an electric motor for moving said pinion. and a hand lever for rotating said second gear.

6. Railway switch actuating mechanism comprising a rotatable switch actuating shaft, agear fixed to said shaft and having external teeth, a member freely mounted on said shaft, a plurality of pinions rotatably supported by said member and each meshing with the teeth of said first gear, a second gear freely mounted on said shaft and having internal teeth meshing with each of said pinions, and separate and distinct de vices for rotating said member and said second gear.

7. Railway switch actuating mechanism comprising a rotatable switch actuating shaft, a gear fixed to said shaft and having external teeth, a member freely mounted on said shaft, a plurality of pinions rotatably supported by said member and each meshing with the teeth of said first gear, a second gear freely mounted on said shaft and having internal teeth meshing with each of said pin ions, an electric motor operatively connected with said member, and a hand lever ope z tively connected with said second gear.

8. Railway switch actuating mechanism comprising an electric motor and a hand lever for operating the switch, and means for preventing operation of said hand lever unless the switch is in one extreme position of its movement.

9. Railway switch actmiting mechanism comprising an electric motor and a hand lever for operating the switch, a latch for preventing operation oi said hand lever, a circuit controller for governing the circuit for said motor, and means controlled by said latch for opening said circuit controller when the latch is actuated to release said lever.

10. Railway switch actuating mechanism comprising an electric motor and a hand lever for operating the switch, a latch for preventing operation of said hand lever, means for preventing operation of said latch to release said lever unless the switch is in one extreme position of its movement, a circuit controller for governing the circuit for said motor, and means controlled by said latch for opening said circuit controller when the latch is actuated to release said lever.

11. Railway switch actuating mechanism comprising an electric motor and a hand lever for operating the switch, means for preventing operation of said hand lever unless the switch is in one extreme position of its movement, and means for preventing operation of said motor when said hand lever is unlocked.

12. Railway switch actuating mechanism comprising an electric motor and a hand lever for operating the switch, a latch for preventing operation of said hand lever, and a member operatively connected with the switch and co-acting with said latch to prevent release of the latch to either lock or unlock the hand lever unless the switch is in one extreme position of its movement.

13. Railway switch actuating mechanism comprising a switch actuating member, two separate and distinct devices for causing op eration of said member, and means interposed between said devices and said member for permitting said devices to be independently used to actuate the switch without the necessity for means for selectively connecting said devices with said member.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

THOMAS J. OMEARA. 

